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  • Equinix expands Hong Kong footprint to meet demand

    Equinix expands Hong Kong footprint to meet demand

    Equinix is expanding its Hong Kong footprint to accommodate local interconnection needs and increasing numbers of inbound cloud service providers.

    This latest expansion of Equinix’s Hong Kong footprint adds over 1,400 new cabinets and brings the company’s total investment in the city to over $250 million.

    The expansion in Hong Kong includes 515 new cabinets in HK1 and represents an incremental investment of $16 million and adds 900 new cabinets in HK2 and represents an incremental investment of $39 million. It is the latest in a series of expansions across Asia-Pacific to meet the rising demand for interconnection services, with other recent expansions including Melbourne, Tokyo and Sydney.

    The new development will enable Equinix to support the growing needs of an increasing variety of enterprises – such as FSI and FinTech, e-payments and logistics – to interconnect with cloud and technology providers.

    Equinix’s cloud and IT ecosystem has continued to gain momentum in Hong Kong. Its cloud customer-base has grown significantly since 2014, as local and international internet security and CSPs are increasingly choosing to deploy with Equinix Hong Kong as their initial entry point or hub location for the Asia-Pacific region.

    Major cloud service providers in Equinix Hong Kong now include Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, Microsoft Azure & Office 365 and Google Cloud. According to Cisco, global cloud IP traffic will almost quadruple in over the next 5 years, this expansion will enable Equinix to meet the needs of Hong Kong customers looking to take advantage of this growth.

    One Hong Kong customer taking advantage of Equinix’s increased capability is ClusterTech Limited, which specializes in using cloud, high performance computing and big data technologies to solve challenging technical problems and improve operational efficiency for their customers. The company is in the process of adding more resources within Equinix’s IBX data centers to launch a new solution that will enable environmental engineering companies to run complex simulation applications.

    In addition to supporting the core cloud needs of customers, Equinix is now also in an excellent position to accommodate the growing trend towards multi-cloud convergence and “interconnected commerce” that Equinix experts predict will be a key feature of the IT landscape over the coming year.

    The additional capacity comes online at a time when Equinix is predicting IoT will become a concrete reality – evolving from independent, single-vendor solutions to those that talk to each other and rely on the same data.

    With the Hong Kong expansion, Equinix will relieve the growing pressure on corporate-centric networks by distributing the traffic more broadly, as well as better control the performance of the streaming IoT information for more real-time business and operational insight.

  • Ericsson, Cisco to virtualize VHA’s core, IP network

    Ericsson, Cisco to virtualize VHA’s core, IP network

    Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA), operator of the Vodafone Australia brand, has engaged Ericsson and Cisco to evolve and virtualize the operator’s core and IP network.

    Ericsson has won a contract to lead the transformation program, building the infrastructure as well as delivering an end-to-end operational system.

    The vendors will deliver a joint architecture solution comprising an Ericsson hyperscale data center system and software components, as well as Cisco’s WAN automation engine, network service orchestrator, IP network VNFs and security gateway.

    Through the project, VHA plans to simplify its network and infrastructure to enable the operator to become more agile and proactive in the way it brings services to market. The transformation also promises to reduce opex and capex and ultimately improve the customer experience.

    The deal marks the first major collaboration between Ericsson and Cisco on telecoms cloud infrastructure, and comes as part of the global business and technology partnership the two vendors formed in November 2015.

    “Ericsson and Cisco are our existing providers of core and routing functions making

    them good partners to move into a virtualized environment,” VHA CTO Kevin Millroy said.

    “This transformation allows us to introduce new applications to drive innovation and improve customer services and user experience. The new infrastructure opens the door to new business models and markets – such as IoT for Vodafone. We are excited about the future prospects this partnership offers.”

  • SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    SmarTone enters IoT alliance with Cisco Jasper

    Hong Kong’s SmarTone has teamed up with Cisco Jasper, Cisco’s IoT division, to launch IoT services in the market.

    The companies will offer Hong Kong businesses the opportunity to leverage SmarTone’s mobile network and Cisco Jasper’s Control Center managed connectivity platform for their IoT-based services.

    Announcing the deal, Cisco Jasper managing director for China and APJ Hong Lu said the company sees SmarTone as an ideal partner for the Hong Kong market due to its status as a total service provider, including cloud, mobile, fixed line, ICT and IoT services.

    “For more than 10 years we have been helping businesses across every industry automate the delivery of IoT services that have a direct impact on their bottom line,” Lu said.

    “Today, more than 6,500 companies in over 100 countries use Cisco Jasper Control Center to automate the connectivity management of their IoT devices around the world.”

    Customers include 23 of the world’s major auto makers leveraging the platform for their connected car initiatives. Cisco Jasper is also particularly targeting smart cities, as well as the industrial manufacturing, retail, security and smart home sectors.

  • Ericsson, Cisco to launch joint Wi-Fi solutions

    Ericsson, Cisco to launch joint Wi-Fi solutions

    Ericsson and Cisco have announced an expanded partnership covering the delivery of a new Wi-Fi solution for mobile, cable and other industries’ customers.

    The new Evolved Wi-Fi Networks (EWN) offering combines Ericsson’s 3GPP access and core network technologies with Cisco’s Wi-Fi portfolio.

    The offering will cover pre-integrated solutions including indoor small cells and operator Wi-Fi over Ericsson outdoor access networks and Ciso WLAN.

    Integrating Cisco WLAN with Ericsson macro or indoor access networks will also allow operators to steer users between mobile and Wi-Fi access networks to ensure a superior end-user experience.

    In addition, core network integration will allow operators to offer all their core network services over Wi-Fi for multi-mode devices.

    Design and deployment of new products based on the offering will be handled by Ericsson’s services organization, and the solutions will be bundled with Ericsson managed services as well as customer support, design and deployment services.

    “Our strategic partnership brings together the capabilities of two leading players in networking, mobility and cloud, creating the best end-to-end solutions and opportunities for our customers,”

    Ericsson Head of Region North America Rima Qureshi said.

    “By adding Wi-Fi solutions into the partnership, we will enable our customers to offer best-in-class Wi-Fi in their networks, complemented by our leading 3GPP portfolio and services organization.”

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  • Cisco sees doubling in digital banking clients

    Cisco sees doubling in digital banking clients

    James Cronk, global director, Financial Services Industry, at US-based Cisco, said the banking and financial-services sectors were now “transferring their legacy environment into digital transformation to support digital payment”.

    Around 4.5 per cent of Thai banking customers currently use digital payment, a proportion that will rise significantly in the next few years, driven by the development of information-technology infrastructure and security, he said.
    Cisco’s comprehensive economic analysis estimates that digital innovation in retail banking will drive US$405 billion (Bt14.4 trillion) in value globally from 2015 to 2017.

    Last year, financial services as a whole captured just 29 per cent or $117 billion of that opportunity. Moreover, more than 90 per cent of the potential value is driven by key digital-use cases, including sales and services transformation, next-generation workers, video-based advice, mobile payment and connected ads, Cronk said.

    Cisco has six platforms and solutions to support digital transformation in financial services – customer experience, workforce experience, agile IT-fast IT, analytics and insights, cyber security and liability, and risk compliance and management – the global director said.

    Having a road map to digital value in retail banking means banks will be positioned “to enable IT agility and operational effectiveness, create differentiation in their business strategies from those of competitors, and define disruptive new digital-enabled business processes”, he explained.

    Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director of Cisco in Thailand and Indochina, said the ratio of digital-banking users in Thailand would increase to 10 per cent of all banking users in the next three years, due to the popularity of using e-payment among generation-Z individuals, the usage of mobile first/cloud first, as well as start-ups developing fintech (financial technology) solutions to support digital payment.
    Moreover, IDC has reported that consumers expect banks to deliver highly personalised hi-tech services coupled with the convenience of anytime, anywhere.

    This group of consumers is growing and accounted for about 4.5 per cent of banking customers in the Asia-Pacific last year, according to the global IT market-intelligence firm, which expects the segment to grow to about 15 per cent by 2020.
    Meanwhile, the Bank of Thailand has reported that there are currently around 12.9 million users of mobile banking in the Kingdom. The value of Thailand’s online retail market is expected to reach $10 billion-$15 billion by 2020, up from less than $2 billion last year, the central bank said.

    The mobile penetration rate reached almost 87 per cent of the population, with smart-phone penetration at 50 per cent, while 50 per cent of all online transactions are done via mobile devices, it added. E-payments are expected to surge from Bt68.2 billion last year to Bt143 billion in 2020.

    Moreover, Thailand is entering in the first stage of the government’s national e-payment policy and, when the e-payment system is fully operational next year, the estimated cost savings for banks and businesses will be around Bt75 billion per year, the Bank of Thailand said. The Thai Bankers’ Association’s Payment System Office has agreed on a new fee structure, which will lower the cost of digital banking.

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  • LeCloud, Cisco team up to secure OTT video services

    LeCloud, Cisco team up to secure OTT video services

    Cisco is teaming up with LeCloud Computing to drive the development of Digital Rights Management (DRM) through its leading VideoGuard Everywhere DRM solution.

    The two companies have built a DRM cloud platform that makes cloud services global. It is compatible with multiple DRM protocols and able to provide one-stop solutions.

    With this, the two companies are working together to promote the disruptive transformation of DRM business models and innovation in the global video cloud service ecosystem.

    Cisco VideoGuard Everywhere, an end-to-end video service protection and monetization solution, enabled LeCloud to comply with content protection requirements from English Premier League (EPL) and to meet its aggressive deadline for service launch following a short phase of only eight weeks from project inception to launch, as well as to secure EPL content distributed through its LeSports OTT service.

    VideoGuard Everywhere, which was deployed on LeCloud’s cloud infrastructure and integrated with its cloud-based video services, is also enabling LeCloud’s global efforts to roll out a Video-as-a-Service (VaaS) offering.

    The DRM cloud solution from Cisco and LeCloud helps to optimize the operating cost of business clients and simplify complex IT infrastructure and operation. During the broadcast of this year’s Premier League games in Hong Kong, the excellent performance of the DRM cloud platform was already highly recognized by the IP holders of the Premier League.

  • Level 3 to deliver NaaS solution for enterprise customers

    Level 3 to deliver NaaS solution for enterprise customers

    Level 3 Communications announced that it is delivering an on-demand network-as-a-service solution on the market using Cisco’s Network Services Orchestrator (NSO), enabled by Tail-f.

    The firm said its Adaptive Network Control Solutions suite leverages the benefits of network automation and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to deliver technology solutions to customers in a rapid, self-service manner, empowering them to be more agile and competitive.

    Level 3 customers want faster, easier ways to bring applications from test environments to full-scale production. They’re looking to integrate new third-party cloud services and applications more easily, with less complexity and overhead. With the click of a button, Cisco’s NSO innovative capabilities are helping to enable Level 3’s customers to rollout new services in a matter of minutes or days rather than weeks or months.

    With the support of NSO, Level 3 developed a programmable wide area network (WAN). The service provider can automate the full range of data services and multivendor devices in its markets around the world. The company can also orchestrate the entire service lifecycle—including activation, testing and ongoing service-level assurance—through a single data model.

    Travis Ewert, SVP of network software development at Level 3, said “The power of agility in today’s competitive marketplace is not overstated.”

    “Global businesses need network resources that are flexible enough to be leveraged as a service, with the reliability and security they can rely on to deliver critical business applications. With Cisco NSO, Level 3 is making the once-distant dream of full lifecycle service automation a reality for enterprises around the world,” the executive said.

    The company further said Level 3 now manages more than 75,000 different network devices around the world. It is offering the same automated services, with the same scalability, high availability and redundancy across geographies, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.

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  • Cisco to cut up to 5,500 jobs

    Cisco to cut up to 5,500 jobs

    Cisco has revealed plans to cut up to 5,500 jobs after reporting flat revenue for its full financial year a 2% decline in revenue for the fourth quarter.

    The networking vendor said it will restructure to cut costs in lower growth areas, and allow it to focus its investment on priority areas including IoT, next generation data centers and the cloud.

    The restructuring will eliminate up to 5,500 positions, or around 7% of Cisco’s total global workforce. It will commence this quarter.

    Cisco made the announcement as it revealed that revenue for FY16 was flat at $49.2 billion. Excluding the contribution of Cisco’s service provider video CPE equipment, which Cisco sold to Technicolor for $600 million last year, revenue would have grown 2%.

    Likewise, Cisco’s Q2 revenue declined 2% year-on-year to $12.6 billion, but grew 2% excluding video CPE revenues.

    Net income grew 20% for the full year to $10.7 billion, and 21% in the fourth quarter to $2.8 billion.

    “We continue to execute well in a challenging macro environment. Despite slowing in our service provider business and emerging markets after three consecutive quarters of growth, the balance of the business was healthy with 5% order growth,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said.

    “This growth and balance demonstrates the strength of our diverse portfolio. Our product deferred revenue from software and subscriptions grew 33% showing the continued momentum of our business model transformation.”

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  • Cisco dives deeper into data center visibility

    Cisco dives deeper into data center visibility

    Cisco has announced Cisco Tetration Analytics, a platform designed to help customers gain complete visibility across everything — packet, flow, speed — in the data center in real time.

    Cisco Tetration Analytics gathers telemetry from hardware and software sensors, and then analyzes the information using advanced machine learning techniques.

    Tetration addresses critical data center operations such as policy compliance, application forensics, and the move to a whitelist security model. Through continuous monitoring, analysis, and reporting, the Tetration Analytics platform provides IT managers with a deep understanding of the data center that will simplify operational reliability, zero-trust operations and application migrations to SDN solutions and the cloud.

    With Cisco Tetration Analytics, organizations can understand what applications are dependent on each other throughout their data center and into the cloud, and move from reactive to proactive — make informed operational decisions and validate the effect of policy changes before they are implemented.

    Firms can also search across billions of flows in less than a second using Tetration’s forensics search engine and user interface, and continuously monitor application behavior to quickly identify any deviation in communication patterns.

    “Gaining much deeper visibility into the data center and automating actionable analysis across a company’s infrastructure marks a critical technology advancement in building secure digital business models like cloud, mobile and IoT,” said David Goeckeler, SVP and general manager of Cisco’s Networking and Security Business Group.

    “We believe the insights we gain from applications and the data center overall will enhance existing software solutions and drive the future development of new advanced software that will improve business operations, efficiency and customer experiences,” said Goeckeler.

  • Optus Business enters $9.1m partnership with Cisco

    Optus Business enters $9.1m partnership with Cisco

    Australia’s Optus Business has teamed up with Cisco to develop new technological capabilities aimed at helping local businesses and government become more agile in the innovation economy.

    The companies will invest A$12 million ($9.1 million) over three years to develop local capabilities based on cyber security, the cloud, the IoT and future networks.

    The co-investment is designed to prototype, develop and launch new capabilities in collaboration with customers.

    Optus Business managing director John Paitaridis said the investment is in line with the current Australian government’s focus on transitioning the nation from a resource-based to an innovation-based economy.

    “Many of the services and capabilities our economy will need tomorrow don’t exist today. This alliance with Cisco bolsters our commitment to bridge this innovation gap for business and government, to help them navigate a complex and evolving technology landscape,” he said.

    “Innovation and responding to change are critical challenges for all Australian businesses and enterprises, to ensure they adapt to changing customer needs and market forces.”

    Optus Business is a subsidiary of Australia’s second-largest operator Optus, which is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of SingTel.

    Optus Business has a history of collaboration with Cisco, including being named the vendor’s 2015 Australian partner of the year.

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  • Bank Simpanan Nasional and Cisco Digitise Banking in Malaysia

    Bank Simpanan Nasional and Cisco Digitise Banking in Malaysia

    Malaysia’s premier savings bank, Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN), is transforming their products and services to appeal to a new generation of digital-enabled customers by deploying Virtual Teller Machines (VTM) across 31 branches. Built on Cisco® Unified Communication and Cisco Unified Computing platforms the VTM helps enable virtual, real-time engagement between customers and tellers in any of the branches, through a highly secure and immersive video platform.

    “The VTM balances the work load between branches, enabling customers in busy branches to perform transactions assisted by tellers in less busy branches nationwide. Customers can now enjoy counter transactions without geographical limitations and experience more comfortable and personalised professional financial services,” said Datuk Adinan Maning, Chief Executive of Bank Simpanan Nasional.

    Key Benefits to Digitised Teller Services

    Virtualising the services provided by in-bank tellers enables BSN to increase resources for the customer, increase bank productivity and most importantly, increase the efficiency of their organisation and the efficiency of service to their customers. Each BSN branch will have three VTM machines and these self-service kiosks that are supported by 450 virtual teller agents placed to assist their colleagues at branches that have higher customer traffic.

    The virtual tellers will be able to attend to customers’ needs, provide advice on banking products and services, and handle account inquiries as well as loan applications.

    The VTMs installed at BSN branches have highly secure features including encrypted electronic signature, thumb print verification, and card identification to ensure customers are protected.

    “The financial services industry is not immune to competition from market disruptors. Non-traditional financial institutions are delivering new digital services that are personal, customised and convenient. Malaysia is committed to transforming the economy through digitisation, and two critical aspects of the Eleventh Malaysia Plan — innovation to drive revenue and productivity acceleration for sectoral growth — are addressed with this implementation at BSN. By leveraging technologies from Cisco to drive a connected banking experience, BSN is leading the way in delivering greater value to their customers, appealing to the digital consumer, improving their productivity and efficiency, while increasing their revenue and customer base. The digitisation of bank branches is an important part of the Omni channel banking experience that transforms the customer’s transaction and increases their engagement with the bank,” said Albert Chai, Managing Director for Cisco in Malaysia.

    Built on the Cisco Business Edition 7000 unified communications platform that includes voice over Internet Protocol (IP), video through Telepresence with Cisco DX 650 and Cisco Jabber for chat functionality and presence, the VTM allows BSN employees to connect to their customers at any time during branch operation hours. The scalable, open and interoperable technologies are hosted on Cisco Unified Computing System foundation.

    “In total, BSN is investing RM30 million to roll out the VTM that provides more than 80 percent of counter services, and is an improvement over current automated teller machines (ATM) and cash deposit machines (CDM). In the near future, the VTMs will also be offering additional services including Account Opening and Debit Card, Customer Information Management and Bills Payment. The VTMs may also allow extended banking hours with the placement of VTMs at public locations,” continued Datuk Adinan.

    BSN customers will be able to use the new banking service in 31 branches, with 93 VTMs serving customers fromDecember 2, 2015.

    According to McKinsey, more than 700 million consumers currently use digital banking across Asia. With digital banking through desktops, smartphones, and tablets becoming much more common, consumers that prefer digital banking are more attractive to financial institutions as they tend to be more educated, have account balances that are two to three times higher, hold multiple banking products and are very active in online shopping. By digitising banking services through VTM machines, BSN is able to optimise technology to improve the customer experience and meet customer demand, while competing with emerging fin-tech start-ups.

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